It's All In The Balance
by Secretlyademigodinthetardis
Summary: Destiel High School AU. Dean is a cheerleader, and Castiel is the awkward nerdy guy who by some miracle is the fastest runner on the school's running team. Dean's been crushing on him for years, and finally has the courage to do something about it after they have to pair up one weird PE lesson. Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural. Also unbeta'd. Oneshot, fluffy


**AN: I found out Jensen Ackles was a cheerleader in high school and...well. This happened. This is also posted on my ao3 account, and it looks prettier there.**

* * *

"Winchester! Focus!"

Dean blushed as Jo was forced to bark at him for the fifth time in a row, and concentrated on what he was doing – which was supporting Anna's feet as she prepared to flip off onto the turf. Anna glared down at him.

"If I break my neck because you can't stop staring at my cousin, Dean, I swear-"

"He's your cousin?" Now Dean was fully focused, staring up at the redhead as she scowled at him. Anna sighed, gracefully tumbled off and landed upright, before facing him.

"Yes, my cousin. The one you stare at all the damn time when you think no one's looking. Ask him out already!"

Dean reddened even further and ducked his head, refusing to look over at where he knew Castiel Novak – the dorky runner who had the biggest blue eyes Dean had ever seen – crouched on the bleachers comfortably, idly watching the various antics on the field alone. Dean wanted nothing more than to go and sit next to him, and have a conversation that involved Dean being cool and suave and totally blowing Castiel away with his sheer awesomeness, but every time he looked at the guy his legs turned to jelly and his brain became an unresponsive pile of goo. And he knew that it was written all over his face, which was why the entire cheerleading team was looking at him and smirking.

"I'm not…I don't…I'm gonna go shower," he muttered, and ran to the changing rooms, mind full of visions of blue eyes and windswept dark hair, coupled with a low, rasping voice.

_I'm screwed._

* * *

Sharing a PE class didn't exactly help, either. Dean's eyes followed the guy everywhere, and it was driving him insane to see him when they were doing the track and field unit. Dean hated running – his face went blotchy and red and he ended up gasping for breath after doing a 100m sprint – but Castiel could run forever and not get tired and _how the hell did he make being sweaty so damn sexy._

Today, though, they were continuing their gymnastics unit. Dean couldn't help but grin, because he was a frigging cheerleader and if anyone was gonna rock this bitch, it was him. He'd already indulged in a little showing off the day before, and if the fact that Castiel had been unable to take his eyes off him made him preen a little (okay, a lot), who was to know but him?

Then Mr Henrikson told them they'd be in pairs that he had already chosen.

And that Dean was going to be paired with Castiel.

Suddenly, all that was going through Dean's head was visions of Castiel watching as Dean managed to snap his neck in half from doing a single roly-poly, and then looking on, confused, as Dean was carted into an ambulance.

_Oh shit oh shit oh shit_

And then Castiel was _right freaking next to him, _inhaling the same oxygen, and Dean's heart was doing that thing where it stopped working properly as Castiel bit his lip and looked up at him, Dean being an inch or so taller. Dean's attention was fixated on the way Castiel rolled his lower lip between his teeth, and he wondered vaguely just how much trouble he would be in (and how much Castiel would hate him) if he pinned the runner against the nearest wall and proceeded to show him just _how_ _much fun_ he could have if it was Dean's tongue rubbing against that lip instead of his tee –

"Winchester! Novak! Quit staring at one another and get on with it!"

Dean jumped at the same time as Castiel, who looked as guilty as Dean felt.

"Wha…what are we meant to be doing?" Dean asked in genuine bewilderment. Castiel shrugged.

"I have no idea," he admitted quietly, and Dean was unable to repress the shiver that ran up his spine when he heard those gravelly tones. "I wasn't really paying attention."

"Yeah, me neither," Dean muttered. He glanced at the pair next to them – Ruby Cassidy and Luke Pellegrino were in the process of Luke lying flat on his back with his legs and arms stuck up in the air, Ruby lying on the flats of his hands and shins. Dean raised an eyebrow.

"We're meant to do that?"

"For balance! And as a trust exercise!" Suddenly Henrikson was right next to them, and Dean leapt what felt like a metre to the left as he boomed at them. "Winchester, you go bottom, and hold Novak, considering he's got a slimmer build."

Dean's face was on fire as soon as the words "you go bottom" left his teacher's mouth, and all he could think about was Castiel, naked and moaning as he pushed his way into Dean's….

Wait. Was Castiel blushing, too?

_No freaking way._

"So, um. I'll just lie down," Dean said awkwardly, and went to move past Castiel to the safety mat just as Castiel turned from Henrikson to look at him. They bumped into one another, Castiel's forehead bouncing off Dean's cheek, and stumbled back slightly.

_Great. Now I look like a huge freaking dork._

Castiel stepped aside. "Um. Yes. You can lie down. Sorry." He glanced at his hands as he spoke and there was a faint tinge of pink still on his cheeks. Dean went and lay down on his back, adjusting his centre of gravity so that he would be able to support Castiel's weight. He looked over at where Castiel stood, and raised his eyebrows.

"You ready?"

Castiel looked suddenly apprehensive, and Dean gave him a reassuring smile.

"Look, if I can throw around cheerleaders, I can hold you, easy."

Castiel still looked nervous as hell, but he walked over and towered over Dean.

"Um, how do I….what…." Limbs suddenly endearingly gawky, he looked helplessly at the cheerleader on the floor. Dean stuck his palms up.

"Okay, put your hands flat against mine." Castiel did so. "Now, slide your arms so that my hands end up resting against your chest to support you, and lean down so you brace your thighs against my knees as you go. As you do this, I'm going to start tilting so you end up parallel to the ground, and you can put your hands on the ground while I do this if it makes you feel better. That okay?"

Castiel nodded, staring wordlessly into Dean's eyes.

"Okay, let's go."

It was going pretty smoothly, until Dean's damn nerves got the better of him and his hand gave a slight tremor. That was all that was needed for Castiel to lose his balance, and he came crashing down onto Dean with a gasp of surprise. The air whooshed out of Dean's lungs from both the impact and the sudden proximity, and he found himself staring into bottomless pits of blue, warm minty breath brushing over his face from Castiel's mouth. Dean didn't trust himself to speak as Castiel lay on top of him, until the sound of Ruby pointedly clearing her throat from nearby as Luke cracked up laughing caused Castiel to scramble to his feet while Dean got his breath back.

"Uhh, shall we try again?" he smiled crookedly at the other boy.

"As long as I don't end up killing you," Castiel said, deadly serious, and Dean actually laughed.

"Nah, I think we're good. Come on!" he wiggled his limbs above him, making grabby hands, and Castiel gave a rare smile as he realigned his palms with Dean's. Slowly, the two of them moved together, and soon enough Castiel was held up only by Dean's hands and legs, his own fingertips grazing the floor by Dean's head for security. They beamed at each other, and then Henrikson decided to say, "Right! Now see how long you can hold that for!"

Dean's heart slid to his stomach. Castiel looked terrified.

"Hey, it's all right, man. I wouldn't drop you like this. It's all in the balance, see? You can hop off any time," Dean soothed, and Castiel relaxed mildly, legs still uselessly stuck out behind him.

"Thank you, Dean."

Realising that this was the first time he had heard Castiel ever say his name (_ever_), Dean smiled up at him.

"You're welcome, Cas."

Castiel's brow furrowed.

"Cas?"

"Oh, uhh…I dunno, Castiel is a mouthful and….yeah." Dean said, feeling more and more awkward, and he would have rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment had they not been completely preoccupied with keeping Castiel airborne.

And had he been, you know.

Vertical.

A slow smile spread across Castiel's face – a real, genuine, honest to God _smile that Dean had put there holy shit_ – and he simply said "I like it."

And Dean knew,just _knew,_ that he was going to have to ask Castiel out or die. When he'd worked out _how_ he was going to do it, that is. And then worked out how to deal with being shot down – because no way in Hell was Castiel going to be a) gay, and b) into him.

After several minutes, they realised they were the only ones still maintaining the position, and Henrikson clapped Dean on the shoulder after the two boys had helped the other to their feet, fumbling and letting the contact between their skin linger longer than necessary.

"Good job, boys. Pretty sure that's enough for today. Everyone go get changed!" he yelled, and the class shuffled off to the changing rooms.

Dean, as usual, got changed in a cubicle. Not because he was ashamed of his body – why the hell would he be ashamed of it? – he just didn't want to have to deal with the stigma of being _gay_ around his half-naked classmates, including the guy he was completely in love with, because while no one at school was outright homophobic, he knew that they'd probably feel awkward with him there. So he went for the easier option, and got changed in the cubicles.

When he emerged, he couldn't help but notice Castiel doing exactly the same, and a small bubble of hope rose in his chest when the blue eyed boy smiled shyly at him before leaving the room.

* * *

The rest of the day, Dean mused about how to ask him out. In all honesty, he didn't know much about Castiel – aside from the fact that he was one of the school's best runner's, he was Anna's cousin, he didn't have many friends (he hung out in the library alone, not that Dean 'casually' wandered around there ogling him when he got the chance), and he loved to read both fantasy novels and history textbooks.

He was smart and adorable, and Dean's heart was melting just thinking about him.

_Dammit_.

Sam, the nerdy nuisance that he is, noticed something was up immediately.

"Come on, Dean, who is it? Is it still that Novak guy?" he smirked, kicking Dean from where his legs were propped up on the couch, schoolwork on his lap. Dean sat at the other end, and Sam's feet could just reach where Dean was bracing his elbows on his knees, head in hands as he stared unseeingly at the TV. The movement jostled him, and his head slipped out of his hand and he managed to knee himself in the face,

"Ow! Dammit Sammy!"

"Well?"

"Shut up."

"So it _is_ Castiel? Just ask him out, man! He's totally in love with you, he's always staring at you when you're anywhere near him!"

"I said shu – wait, he is?"

"Duh!"

"Huh. Awesome," Dean's face remained blank, but a red flush crept up his neck as his heart began to beat faster at the thought of Castiel maybe, possibly, liking him back. Sam rolled his eyes and nudged him with his foot again.

"Sooooo?"

"Mmm?" _I wonder what his mouth tastes like…._

"You gonna ask him out or what?"

"Well. I want to. Just. How?" And now Dean was looking at his younger brother in a panic, and he had no idea how to ask out the guy of his dreams and he was going to die old and alone and _what do I dooooooo?!_

Sam raised an eyebrow before responding.

"First, you calm down. Then I dunno, have a meaningful moment, and ask the guy out. Don't weird him out or anything, you do that to people sometimes."

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

The pair of them bickered until Mary hollered from the kitchen. "Boys, dinner's ready!"

"Aw, sweet!" Dean ran to grab his food, ignoring the wink Sam sent his way.

Once they'd eaten, Dean realised there was a familiar smell. His stomach, despite the dinner he'd just had, let out a low growl. Sam snorted.

"Dude, is there pie?"

In answer, Mary lay the dessert on the table – baked to perfection, golden crust just waiting for Dean to sink his teeth into….

He only realised he was drooling when Sam couldn't stop laughing.

"Is that what you look like when you're looking at Castiel?" he asked, and Dean couldn't stop the blush that erupted like a volcano, overwhelming him with its sudden onslaught. Mary looked at him curiously.

"Who's Castiel?" she asked, eyes twinkling, and Dean stubbornly munched on his pie as Sam replied.

"The guy Dean's been crushing on since freshman year. He's on the running team, but he doesn't dress like it."

"Oh really? What does he dress like then?" She looked at Dean, who was still steadfastly focused on his pie. Sam enthusiastically leapt in to provide what Dean did not.

"He's got dark hair and blue eyes and he wears nerdy clothes like khakis and jumpers-"

"He wears slacks and a blazer over his blouse! If you're gonna describe the dude do it properly!" Dean interrupted, finishing his pie and glaring at Sam, who promptly beamed at him at the same time as Mary.

"What colour blazer?" Mary said, leaning forward on her elbows. Dean, realising what he'd said, looked down again and mumbled, "oh, you know…blue, I guess. Kinda."

"Like his eyes….?" Sam teased, mimicking Mary's posture.

"I suppose." Dean didn't mention the fact that today Castiel's blazer was the exact same colour as his eyes and Dean had almost dropped his lunch at the sight of him in those freaking pants and blazer and _those glasses on his stupid perfect face –_

" 'Stupid perfect face' ?" asked Mary, and Dean realised he'd been grumbling out loud.

So much for not mentioning it.

"Maybe." And then Dean was struck with the perfect plan for asking out Castiel. He looked at the remains of his pie, then back to his mother, and grinned, taking off upstairs as he yelled, "Thanks!"

Mary looked at Sam, who shrugged.

* * *

The next day, Dean found Castiel at lunch in his usual spot on the bleachers. He approached him, smiling, and Castiel smiled shyly back. Wordlessly, Dean sat down next to him and handed over a small box, which Castiel opened.

Inside, there was a tiny cherry pie, with a small folded note next to it. Castiel opened the note. In large, messy scrawl, it said

_Would you like to go on a date with me?_

He looked back up at the cheerleader, who had gone the same bright red as his cheerleading uniform and was scratching the back of his neck. Castiel stared at him in sheer astonishment, and Dean made to leave. He was stopped, however, by lean fingers gripping his wrist and pulling him back down to sit again. Dean caught a glimpse of bright blue eyes shining at him before chapped lips were pressed against his, and he was briefly stunned before his eyes slid shut, pushing back and smiling against them before the two of them broke apart. It was a kiss that was all too short, but it was perfect, and Castiel's eyes crinkled at the edges as he smiled and said "Yeah, okay."

Dean stared at him, open-mouthed.

" 'Yeah, okay'? That's it?"

Castie shrugged, and popped the tiny delicacy in his mouth, chewing it, swallowing it, and then saying, "Yeah, okay. I would love to go on a date with you, Dean."

The cheerleader gave the nerdy runner a full-blown grin, unable to help himself.

"Awesome."

Of course that was when a pompom hit the side of his face and the pair of them glanced up to see the entire cheerleading team catcalling and wolf-whistling at them.

"Winchester! Come on, we're practising!"Anna yelled. "Sorry Cassie," she added with a wink, and they looked back at one another.

"I gotta…ummm…" he jerked his head towards the team. Castiel gave him a small smile again, and nodded.

"Have fun. I'll be here."

Dean leaned in and pecked him on the lips, before handing him a piece of paper and jogging off so that Castiel wouldn't see how red he was.

Castiel looked at the newest note.

_So, uhh, if you're reading this it means you've agreed to go out with me. I hope I wasn't too much of an idiot and I hope you like pie, I mean who wouldn't like pie? Pie is awesome. _

_Sorry. _

_Anyway, if I haven't properly arranged it (because I'm an idiot), then I thought Saturday? 7? I'll pick you up, because my car is awesome._

_I'm not trying to show off, but she is._

_Okay, maybe I'm showing off a little bit. For a good cause, I swear. _

_Anyway, here's my number. If you still wanna go on a date (or even if you've changed your mind about the whole thing and just wanna be friends), text me? Yeah, um. Talk later, I guess. _

And there was a row of digits scribbled underneath it. Castiel looked over to where Dean was standing with the other cheerleaders, and when Dean glanced over at him, he made sure that Dean could see him putting the number in his phone. Dean ducked his head – something Castiel was finding increasingly endearing, before turning back to what Anna was saying to the team, a huge smile on his face.

_Awesome._

* * *

**AN: Yeah. Um. Reviews? **

**Also we had to do a PE class like that and it was weird.**


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